“Hello Villeneuve!”, shouts a voice, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. Inside this strange plant tunnel going into the ground, there is no one. However, this sonorous call comes from the other side of La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime), precisely from Kennedy Park, in the working-class district of Mireuil. That is, about ten kilometers from Condorcet Park, in Villeneuve-les-Salines, another working-class district of the Charente city. In these two places, large funnel-shaped sculptures were built during this summer of 2024, as part of the “Connected Networks” artistic project.
Because these two wooden sculptures are indeed connected: a person who enters them in Mireuil can speak and be heard by a counterpart in Villeneuve-les-Salines. And vice versa. “Some people don’t believe us and ask us how it’s possible! We have set up a digital installation, it works with the Internet, in 4G. Like two telephones during a videoconference, quite simply. Except that in our case, people have the impression of speaking into a void, because there is no screen,” explains Birgit Mollemeier, a visual artist in La Rochelle and member of the Terra Amata association, at the initiative of these strange installations.
“Being in contact from a distance, with a slightly magical side”
The designer called on S-LAB, a digital development association from La Rochelle, and teamed up with sound artist Emmanuel Faivre, also based in the maritime city. In each “tunnel”, soundtracks are broadcast continuously. Their volume automatically decreases when someone decides to speak. “We designed these sounds partly during mediation workshops with the residents of each district. It’s a little awakening to listening, which invites everyone to be attentive to the soundscape of their territory,” he emphasizes.
Birgit Mollemeier came up with this project during the first lockdown, in March 2020. “I wanted to develop the idea of being able to be in contact with others while being at a distance, with a slightly magical side,” says the visual artist, who absolutely wanted to give a participatory dimension to her project. The objective was achieved, with 445 residents having participated in the development of these large funnels. No fewer than 30 mediation workshops were organized, in which 335 people participated. Jean-Christophe, a gardener on a micro-farm next to a sculpture, is one of those who got involved. “It was nice! Today I like to go inside when there are people around,” he smiles. The works will remain in place until the beginning of November 2024.
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